Entire STAR WARS saga is finally being released on digital platforms!

Are you one of those weirdos rare people that have still not seen a Star Wars movie, despite it being one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons in history? Maybe you’ve actually wanted to check them out, but you have a strong dislike for *spit* physical media? Well, then strange person with with weird snobbish distastes for discs, do I have some great news for you!

Disney, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox have jointly announced that for the first time ever, all six Star Wars movies will be made available in HD on most digital platforms, including iTunes (which will be available locally), Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, XBox Video and Playstation Store among others, this coming Friday April 10 2015! Unfortunately, these will be George Lucas’ Special Edition versions as seen on the recent Blu Ray release, and not the original cuts that the bigwigs over in Hollywood seems intent to have us forget that ever existed. Digital Jabba’s and “Nooooooooo” screaming Vaders aside though, this is still pretty cool news, especially since these HD digital versions of the movies will now also be released with “a host of never-before-seen special features”.

Here’s the full official press release we got from Disney South Africa this morning.

BURBANK, Calif. – April 6, 2015 – As anticipation builds for the December release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first new film in the Star Wars Saga in a decade, The Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm Ltd., and 20th Century Fox today announced the upcoming release of The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection. For the first time ever, all six epic films in the Saga, from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi, will be available on Digital HD throughout the galaxy – or at least here on Earth – globally beginning Friday, April 10.

Available for pre-order now, South African fans will be able to access the Star Wars Digital Movie Collection exclusively on the South Africa iTunes Store via www.itunes.com/starwars.

“Since the debut of the first film nearly 40 years ago, Star Wars has become a worldwide phenomenon with legions of fans from every generation,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s only fitting that audiences enjoy this legendary Saga and its many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories on a wide variety of platforms, and we’re very excited to finally bring all six films to Digital HD for the first time.”

“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars Saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” commented Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the Saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists – the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”

With Star Wars: Episodes I-VI available for purchase as a complete digital movie collection and individually, viewers will have the Rebel forces at their beck and call across their favorite devices anywhere – sunbathing at the beach, relaxing in their living room with friends, or waiting to board a flight to Endor (or elsewhere).

Enhancing the movie collection are a host of never-before-seen special features including Star Wars: Discoveries from Inside and insightful Conversations between key contributors from across this celebrated film franchise, plus a curated collection of classic Star Wars extras from each film. These are the droids you’re looking for:

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace

Conversations: Doug Chiang Looks Back (Documentary)- Design Director Doug Chiang provides a look at Star Wars conceptual drawings and models and reveals the lessons learned from George Lucas that helped him create some of cinema’s most lasting and iconic images.

Discoveries From Inside: Models & Miniatures (Documentary)- Steve Gawley and Lorne Peterson discuss how they created miniscule and massive models that became classic pieces of the Star Wars universe, plus, how emerging technology altered the course of the Millennium Falcon and the art of “painting with 3D parts.”

Conversations: Sounds In Space (Documentary)- Legendary sound mixers Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood meet at Skywalker Ranch to discuss how they came to work on the Star Wars films, share the surprising sounds that made the movies roar to life and celebrate the franchise that defined their careers.

Discoveries From Inside: Costumes Revealed (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Laela French look at some of the most iconic wardrobe pieces in cinema history and share anecdotal fun facts about the costumes of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Han Solo and other fascinating Star Wars characters.

Legacy content includes “From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters In Episode II”; State Of The Art: The Previsualization Of Episode II; and “Films Are Not Released, They Escape”; plus Episode II Visual Effects Breakdown Montage and six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE III: Revenge of the Sith

Conversations: The Star Wars That Almost Was (Documentary)- Jonathan Rinzler and Pablo Hidalgo, historians and writers for the Star Wars empire, reveal how iconic moments and stories from the Saga almost took very different paths – and discover original ideas behind classic characters and quotes.

Discoveries From Inside: Hologram & Bloopers (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Monica Chin-Perez enter the Archives to view original work prints for the 35mm hologram of Princess Leia, an early version of the Death Star explosion, a recently discovered blooper reel featuring actors’ flubs and more.

Legacy content includes documentaries “Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III”; The Journey Part 1; and The Journey Part 2; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A New Hope (20th Century Fox)

Conversations: Creating A Universe (Documentary)- Longtime collaborators Roger Christian and Joe Johnston meet for the first time to discuss the impact that George Lucas had on their lives and share memories of building the Millennium Falcon and other iconic elements of the Star Wars universe.

Discoveries From Inside: Weapons & The First Lightsaber (Documentary)-W. Rinzler and Roger Christian open up the hallowed Archives at Skywalker Ranch to showcase classic props created for the Star Wars empire, including the most iconic piece of all…the Lightsaber – plus, the Archives’ latest discovery!

Conversations: The Lost Interviews (Documentary)- Listen to never-before-heard interviews with the cast and crew of Star Wars: A New Hope accompanied by rare, behind-the-scenes footage and pictures. Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and others reveal the thrills and challenges of their early days on set.

Discoveries From Inside: Matte Paintings Unveiled (Documentary)- Esteemed artist and matte painter Harrison Ellenshaw discusses the nearly lost art of matte painting – an element crucial to the look of Star Wars and so many other classic films – plus, he shares a big find of pint-sized proportions from A New Hope.

Legacy content includes “A Conversation With The Masters” (2010); “Dennis Muren: How Walkers Walk”; “George Lucas On Editing The Empire Strikes Back 1979”; and “George Lucas On The Force: 2010”; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: Return of the Jedi

Conversations: The Effects (Documentary)- A team of legendary video effects artists celebrate the technological advances made possible by the Star Wars franchise and share stories, secrets and “happy accidents” from their groundbreaking work on the original films.

Discoveries From Inside: The Sounds Of Ben Burtt (Documentary)- Ben Burtt invites you into his office at Skysound, a laboratory of artifacts used to create the unforgettable SFX of Star Wars. Discover the inspiration for the sounds of C-3PO, R2-D2, the Lightsaber and the ominous breathing of Darth Vader.

A man of many passions - but very little sleep - I've been geeking out over movies, video games, comics, books, anime, TV series and lemon meringues as far back as I can remember. So show up for the geeky insight, stay for the delicious pastries.

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